Friday, March 03, 2017

LOS ANGELES
— MTSU put its spotlight upon country star Hillary Scott as faculty and
friends gathered Saturday, Feb. 11, in Southern California to celebrate the
former student’s Grammy nods in two Christian music categories.

President
Sidney A. McPhee and College of Media and Entertainment Dean Ken Paulson also
recognized three other Grammy nominees with MTSU ties at a university reception
held at The Standard in downtown Los Angeles.

“We
celebrate Hillary’s music, her continued ties to her alma mater and the
inspiration she engenders among the students in our program,” McPhee said. “She
is True Blue.”

Later
that evening, MTSU capped off its Saturday in Southern California with its
third consecutive concert co-sponsored by the Americana Music Association at the
Troubadour club in West Hollywood and honoring legendary singer Loretta Lynn.

Scott,
absent from Saturday’s events because a bout of flu, was represented by father
Lang Scott, and her little sister, Rylee.

“Today,
we recognize Hillary Scott, not only for her achievements in music, but for the
work she has done to personify the spirit of what it means to be a member of
the MTSU community,” Paulson said. “We thank her, and her family, and celebrate
their hard work and achievement.”

Present
at MTSU’s Saturday reception was also family members of MTSU alumnus Chris
Young, a nominee for best country duo/group performance category for No.
1 single, “Think of You,” which he co-wrote and which features
singer Casadee Pope.

Paulson
and Beverly Keel, chair of MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry, also
recognized Pete Fisher, the Opry’s former longtime vice president and
chief executive officer.

Fisher,
now CEO of the Academy of Country Music, is part of a team that created
“American Saturday Night: Live from the Grand Ole Opry,” a concert film
released in theaters in December 2015 and a nominee in the best music film
category.

Also
noted by Keel and Paulson was Brad King, a 2015 MTSU recording industry
graduate specializing in audio production, is competing with Scott in the best
contemporary Christian album category for his engineering work on the
team that recorded “Poets & Saints” by the group All Sons & Daughters.

Meanwhile,
later Saturday, MTSU co-sponsored its third concert, organized by the Americana
Music Association, at the legendary Troubadour Club in West Hollywood to honor
country music icon Lynn. Several Recording Industry alumni, as well as faculty
and administrators, were in attendance for the event.

“We are
privileged again to partner with MTSU for our annual pre-Grammy Salute to
Loretta Lynn,” said Jed Hilly, executive director of the American Music
Association. “Our mission is to advocate for the authentic voice of American
Roots music and working with an institute of higher education helps us to reach
the next music loving generation.”

“Our
presence at these events preceding the Grammys underscores not only the
importance we place in our ties to the Recording Industry, but also the
commitment by President McPhee to invest in sustaining our standing at a player
in this field,” Paulson said.

The
Department of Recording Industry, for the third straight year, is part of an
international list of acclaimed music schools praised by The Hollywood Reporter
that includes Juilliard, Berklee and London’s Royal College of Music. It ranks
No. 18 on the “Top 25 Music Schools 2016” list.